Prosecutor calls slaying hate crime, seeks death penalty

Greg Tuttle

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 10:53 a.m.

The gunfire outside a Las Vegas apartment in July that left one man dead and another paralyzed was a hate crime that could lead to a death sentence for the man accused of pulling the trigger, a Clark County prosector said Thursday.

Chief Deputy Assistant District Attorney David Roger said he will seek the death penalty against 25-year-old Damon Lamar Campbell for the July 22 incident that was sparked when Campbell confronted a group of Hispanic men walking through an alley behind an apartment at 2933 Elm Ave.

Louis Alberto Martinez, 32, was killed by a single gunshot wound in the head. Carlos Villanueva, 28, was struck in the back and left paralyzed. Martinez's younger brother, 25-year-old Leonardo Martinez, was grazed by a bullet as he held a young child in his arms, Roger said.

The victims told investigators Campbell opened fire after shouting derogatory statements about Mexicans. Campbell allegedly told police he fired in self-defense as beer bottles were hurled at him when he confronted a man who was urinating behind his girlfriend's apartment.

Roger said the evidence points to a hate crime.

"No broken beer bottles were found at the scene," Roger said.

Campbell has been charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

On Thursday, a man prosecutors allege was with Campbell the night of the shooting and allegedly encouraged him to open fire at the victims was arraigned in District Court on one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Sheldon Holliman, 26, faces a possible life sentence if convicted, Roger said.

Campbell and Holliman are being held in the Clark County Detention Center pending trial.

Roger said neither suspect has any apparent ties to hate groups and both men have only minor criminal records, he said.

The shooting occurred at about 1:30 a.m. July 22 shortly after Campbell and Holliman pulled into a parking lot in front of Holliman's apartment. Campbell allegedly confronted a group of people walking down an alley behind the apartment, but the stories differ on what happened next.

Roger said the victims reported they had been at soccer practice and were on their way home when Campbell and Holliman pulled up in a truck. After making a derogatory comment about Mexicans, Campbell went inside an apartment and quickly returned with a handgun. The victims said Campbell fired two shots in the air then leveled the gun at the group as Holliman allegedly cheered him on.

Leonardo Martinez told investigators he grabbed a little boy when the gunfire erupted in an effort to discourage the shooter.

Campbell and Holliman told police a different story. When the two pulled up they saw a man urinating against a wall and confronted him. They went into the apartment and returned a few minutes later to find another man urinating and Campbell fired two shots into the air.

The group then attacked them by throwing beer bottles and Campbell fired in self-defense, according to a statement given by Campbell, Roger said.

Police arrested Campbell at the scene and recovered a large-caliber handgun. Holliman was questioned on the night of the shooting and released, but was later arrested on an unrelated warrant.

Roger said he will ask for the death penalty against Campbell based on the aggravating factors that the shooting was a hate crime based on the victim's race and without an apparent motive, and that the shooting was random and created a risk of harm to more than one person.